Sports sock with shin guard pocket

ABSTRACT

A sports sock includes a sock body having a pocket located along an inside surface. The pocket is positioned along the front end of the sock at a location suitable for covering the shin bone of a sock wearer. The pocket includes an opening along the top end, and has a shape and size that conforms to a shin guard. A flap is positioned along one edge of the pocket opening for selectively allowing and preventing passage of the shin guard through the pocket opening.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to sportswear, and more particularly to a sock having an integrated pocket for receiving a shin guard.

BACKGROUND

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.

When playing sports such as soccer, baseball, hockey, cricket and lacrosse, for example, it is routine for players to wear safety equipment. To this end, one of the most commonly utilized pieces of safety equipment are shin guards, as they protect the wearers shin bones from damage caused by impacts from tackles and kicks, for example.

There are many types of commercially available shin guards, which typically include an elongated piece of rigid plastic, or other such material that has a longitudinal bend to conform to the shape of a wearer's leg. Such guards are typically secured directly to the user's leg via adjustable straps that wrap around the leg, and/or through the use of heel straps located along the bottom of each guard. Once secured onto the user's leg, a standard sock is typically worn that covers both the guard and attachment mechanism.

Although these devices function well to prevent injuries when they are properly located on a user's leg, they have a tendency to move/shift with the constant activity of the wearer. In many cases, the sock itself is the primary antagonist, as the sock has a tendency to snag the pad and shift the same when the player runs or kicks. As such, players must constantly adjust the position of their shin guards and/or socks during play.

Accordingly, it would be beneficial to provide a sport sock with an integrated pocket that can receive a shin guard and secure the same onto a player so as to avoid the above noted drawbacks.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a sports sock. One embodiment of the present invention can include a sock body having a pocket located along an inside surface. The pocket can be positioned along the front end of the sock at a location suitable for covering the shin bone of a sock wearer. The pocket can include an opening along the top end, and can further include a shape and size that is suitable for receiving a shin guard for protecting the shin bone of the sock wearer.

In one embodiment, the pocket can be constructed from an elastomeric material and can conform to the shape of a shin guard independently to the sock body.

In one embodiment, the pocket can include a flap that is positioned along one edge of the pocket opening. The flap can function to selectively allow and prevent passage of a shin guard through the pocket opening.

This summary is provided merely to introduce certain concepts and not to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Presently preferred embodiments are shown in the drawings. It should be appreciated, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sports sock with shin guard pocket that is useful for understanding the inventive concepts disclosed herein.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the sports sock with shin guard pocket, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a back view of the sports sock with shin guard pocket, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the sports sock with shin guard pocket in operation, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While the specification concludes with claims defining the features of the invention that are regarded as novel, it is believed that the invention will be better understood from a consideration of the description in conjunction with the drawings. As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention which can be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the inventive arrangements in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. Further, the terms and phrases used herein are not intended to be limiting but rather to provide an understandable description of the invention.

As described throughout this document, the term “complementary shape,” and “complementary dimension,” shall be used to describe a shape and size of a component that is identical to, or substantially identical to the shape and size of another identified component.

Identical reference numerals are used for like elements of the invention or elements of like function. For the sake of clarity, only those reference numerals are shown in the individual figures which are necessary for the description of the respective figure. For purposes of this description, the terms “upper,” “bottom,” “right,” “left,” “front,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” and derivatives thereof shall relate to the invention as oriented in FIG. 1. For ease of illustration, only one sock is illustrated in the drawings.

FIGS. 1-4 illustrate various embodiments of a sports sock with shin guard pocket 10 that are useful for understanding the inventive concepts disclosed herein. As will be described below, the sock 10 can be specially constructed to securely house a shin guard and to maintain the shin guard in a location that protects a user's shin bones during use.

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate one embodiment of a sport sock with shin guard pocket 10 that includes, essentially, a main sock body 11 and a pocket 20 located along the front side of the sock body.

As shown, each sock body 11 can include an upper portion 11 a, a heel portion 11 b, a sole portion 11 c, a toe portion 11 d, and an ankle portion 11 e. An opening 12 is provided along the top end of the sock for receiving the foot and ankle of a wearer. As described herein, the sock body may be constructed from any number of different elastomeric materials such as cotton, wool, yarn and/or textile fibers, in accordance with known manufacturing techniques, and can include dimensions that conform to any sized user.

In one embodiment, an elongated pocket 20 can be disposed along the inside surface of the sock body, and can extend from the opening 12 toward the sole 11 c. The pocket 20 can include a generally curved and rectangular shape that is defined by a front surface 21 a, a rear surface 21 b, and a plurality of edges 21 c, 21 d and 21 e that may be secured to the sock body, so as to form a generally hollow space. A pocket opening 22 can be located along the top end of the pocket for receiving a shin guard into the hollow space. Although illustrated with regard to a separate front surface 21 a, this feature may also be performed by the upper portion of the sock body 11 a.

In the preferred embodiment, the pocket 20 can be constructed from an identical material as the sock body 11, and can be secured thereto via any number of seam connectors such as stitching, hem tape and/or liquid seams, for example. Of course, other embodiments are also contemplated wherein the pocket is constructed from a different material than the sock body. To this end, in one embodiment, the interior surfaces of the pocket may be lined with, or constructed from a high friction material 23 such as strips of rubber, for example, which can function to engage an inserted shin guard and prevent movement of the same during operation.

In either instance, the pocket 20 will include a shape and dimension that is suitable for receiving any number of commonly utilized shin guards having an elongated curved plate design. One nonlimiting example of such a shin guard is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,654,960, to Grant, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Of course, the pocket may include other shapes and sizes to accommodate other forms of shin guards having irregular shapes.

As noted above, the front surface of the pocket 21 a may be separate from the sock body 11 a. Owing to the differences in shin guard shapes and sizes, the pocket 20 may be independently elastomeric in nature, so as to allow one or both of the front and rear surfaces 21 a and 21 b to stretch independently of the sock body. Such a feature allowing the shape/size of the pocket to be altered by the shape of an inserted shin guard without affecting the shape of the sock itself. Moreover, the pocket may extend from the sock opening 12 all the way to ankle portion of the sock 11 e,or may span any distance therebetween.

As shown in FIG. 3, one embodiment, the sock 10 can also include a flap 30 which can be located along the pocket opening 22. The flap can function to selectively cover the opening of the pocket 20 once a shin guard has been positioned therein, by folding over the top of the opening (see arrow a). Such a feature can function to prevent the shin guard from shifting or moving within the pocket during operation. Moreover, any number of connectors 31, such as opposing strips of hook and loop material, for example, may be provided to maintain the flap in the closed position.

As shown in FIG. 4, a user 1 may place a sock on each foot, and then slide a shin guard 2 through the pocket opening until the bottom end of the guard makes contact with the bottom edge of the pocket 21 e. When so positioned, one or both of the high friction material 23 or the flap 30 can function to prevent the guard from moving within the pocket. Moreover, with the shin guard secured within the pocket of the sock, the rigidity of the guard itself will prevent the sock body from sagging.

This is especially true when the bottom end of the pocket is located at the ankle portion of the sock, as the bottom end of the shin guard can be supported by the top of the user's foot when worn. As such, the structural relationship of the shin guard, and the sock with integrated pocket provide mutual support for ensuring the entire combination remains securely positioned on the shin of the wearer 1 at all times during play.

As to a further description of the manner and use of the present invention, the same should be apparent from the above description. Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the manner of usage and operation will be provided.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. Likewise, the terms “consisting” shall be used to describe only those components identified. In each instance where a device comprises certain elements, it will inherently consist of each of those identified elements as well.

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. 

1. A sports sock, comprising: a sock body having an inside surface, an outside surface, an elongated upper portion, a sock opening at an upper end of the elongated upper portion, and an ankle portion; an elongated pocket having a pocket opening that is secured along the elongated upper portion, said elongated pocket including a shape and size that is complementary to a shape and size of a shin guard, and said pocket opening being configured to receive a shin guard.
 2. The sock of claim 1, wherein the pocket opening is positioned adjacent to the sock opening, and the pocket includes a bottom end that extends toward the ankle portion.
 3. The sock of claim 1, wherein the elongated pocket is located along the inside surface of the sock body.
 4. The sock of claim 1, further comprising: a pocket flap that is located along an edge of the sock opening, said pocket flap being configured to selectively cover the pocket opening.
 5. The sock of claim 1, wherein the elongated pocket includes a front surface that is in communication with the sock body, a rear surface that is opposite to the front surface, and a plurality of edges.
 6. The sock of claim 5, wherein the elongated pocket is constructed from an elastomeric material.
 7. The sock of claim 6, wherein the elongated pocket is configured to conform to a shape of the shin guard independently from the sock body. 